Overshadowed by seaside neighbours La Rochelle to the north and Royan to the south, Rochefort is often neglected by visitors to the Atlantic coastline of Poitou-Charentes. This is a shame as this historic naval stronghold on the River Charente is a lovely town – in fact it has been named as one of France’s Top 10 stylish towns by the Lonely Planet guide. Here’s why…
Rochefort is an 18th century French version of what today we would call a ‘new town’. It was built by Jean-Baptiste Colbert as a place to supply and defend the French navy – partly on the not unreasonable grounds that nearby La Rochelle with its Protestant background (and hence close links to England) could hardly be trusted with such an important role.
It was Louis XIV who was especially keen to get a shipyard at Rochefort built – he was worried about the power of the English navy – and instructed Colbert: ‘Make it big, Make it beautiful – and make it fast.’
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